Monument deadline nears

With a Dec. 12 deadline coming up quickly, $1,000 has been donated toward the fabrication of a fifth veterans monument on the Courthouse Square, with $3,630 more needed before the stone can be ordered.

Mary Kay O’Connor, who is spearheading the campaign to get two more stonesaddedtotheexisting set of three, said Tuesday thatcountycommissioners approved her request to place the fifth monument alongside a fourth stone, whichhadalreadyreceived county approval and has been ordered from Sterling Monuments of Eastland.

O’Connor felt that the fifthmonumentwasneeded aftersheunexpectedlysaw an old ledger in the records room of the county clerk’s office while doing some unrelated research. The book had been there all along, butO’Connorwasn’taware of its existence.

She counted the names of 179 World War I veterans of Shackelford County whose discharge papers were in the book, 120 of which were not listed on any of the existing monuments.

O’Connor said most of the men were discharged as Shackelford County citizens in 1919. Although most have no family left here, she feels it is important to honor them.

“If we purchase another monument now with the one we are waiting on, we canpurchaseitforthesame price of $4,130,” O’Connor said. “Otherwise, it will go up $500.”

Sterling Monuments, the company that is preparing and installing the stones, has also offered to etch all the names for $500 instead of the $1,080 that it would normally cost.

The three monuments already in place are full, and donations came in quickly when O’Connor asked in September for funds to install the fourth stone.

She is hoping that additional donors will respond in the next two weeks before the deadline passes.

Other Veterans

In addition to etching the WWI names at a discount, Sterling is offering a “one-time only, special offer”fornamesofveterans not already on the monument.

“While they still have the stone at their shop, Sterling will engrave any additional names for free,” O’Connor said. “This is just for the time that the engraver is working on the monument before they bring it to Albany and set it in place.”

So far, 17 names have been added to the list, O’Connor said.

The cost to engrave a name is usually $90, but until Dec. 12, 2023, names can be added at no charge.

“He offered to do this for names of both deceased and living Shackelford County veterans received in the next two months,” O’Connor said. “It was a generous offer, and it’s an opportunity for those who mightnothavebeenableto afford the $90 cost.”

Veterans must have lived in Shackelford County, and O’Connor needs proof of service before a name can be added.

Monument History The monument originally consisted of one eight-foot-by-three-and-ahalf- foot segment erected at the Albany Cemetery anddedicatedonMemorial Day 1961.

In 2003, the monument was moved to the Courthouse Square and two additions were added, giving room for more names.

The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW, and DAR have helped raise funds through the years.

O’Connorsaidthefourth and fifth pieces will be the same size as the two added in 2003, and both will be placed on the east side of the existing structures in order not to crowd the other monuments on the west side.

Additional donations can be sent to O’Connor at 441 S. 3rd St. Albany TX 76430. More information is available by calling 325660-2498.